Cyborgs, Ethics, and the Matrix: Simulations of Sex and Gender
November 4, 2024
Meet VCU Authors: Rebecca Gibson
Start time: 12:00 p.m.
End time: 1:00 p.m
Location: Virtual
Description
The Matrix (Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski 1999) has permeated our cultural consciousness for two decades, working its way into such common parlance as “a glitch in the Matrix,” and the idea of taking the Red Pill. With the release of the fourth movie, The Matrix Resurrections (Lana Wachowski 2021), and the confirmation of the franchise being a metaphor for gender transition, this book examines how the entire franchise contributes to the discourse on sex and gender, and how it has been instrumental in propelling the creation of new types of cyborg technology. Cyborgs, Ethics, and the Matrix: Simulations of Sex and Gender centers on the main philosophical theme of The Matrix, know thyself, and relate it to the quest for authenticity which creates our identities—be they human, or human “enough”—as we move through the world.
About the Author
Rebecca Gibson, PhD is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Anthropology in VCU's School of World Studies. Dr. Gibson's research spans a multitude of topics, from historical biological anthropology, to whether or not zombies have gender, to cyborgs and robotic technology. Her published works include “The Corseted Skeleton: A Bioarchaeology of Binding” (Palgrave Macmillan 2020); "Global Perspectives on the Liminality of the Supernatural: From Animus to Zombi," (Lexington Books 2022) and "Cyborgs, Ethics, and the Matrix: Simulations of Sex and Gender," (Palgrave Macmillan 2024). She holds a PhD in Anthropology from American University, and when not writing or teaching can be found reading mystery novels amidst a pile of stuffed animals.